Ning Fengzhi brought Tang San to a teahouse, where they met a young man.
The young man's gaze shifted to Tang San. "This must be Brother Tang San, the one Uncle Ning speaks so highly of."
"I wouldn't dare presume." Tang San offered the young man a slight nod.
Ning Fengzhi smiled. "Let me introduce you. Little San, this is His Highness Crown Prince Xue Qinghe of the Tian Dou Empire."
Tang San's heart skipped a beat. No wonder this young man looked so familiar—it wasn't just his resemblance to Emperor Xue Ye, but also to the Fourth Prince Xue Beng, who had once caused trouble for Shrek Academy, and Prince Xue Xing. They all shared certain features.
"So it's the Crown Prince. Tang San greets Your Highness." He bowed slightly, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.
Xue Qinghe praised him. "If Uncle Ning hadn't told me, I'd have a hard time believing you're only fourteen. When I was fourteen, I was still nothing more than a naive boy. I'm glad to meet you. If you don't mind, just call me Brother Xue. As for the 'Crown Prince' title—there's no need for that between us."
From the young man's words and bearing, Tang San couldn't help but feel surprised. Could this person really be the same father's son as that Prince Xue Beng? How could they be so different? Having lived two lives, Tang San had already gleaned certain things from Ning Fengzhi's introduction and the young man's identity as Crown Prince—this prince had clearly won the support of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Recalling that Emperor Xue Ye was already getting on in years... Could it be that the Tian Dou Empire was heading toward a succession struggle?
Ning Fengzhi spoke up from the side. "All right, let's sit down first. The green tea here is quite excellent. Little San, you should try it too."
The three took their seats as host and guests. Xue Qinghe personally poured fragrant tea for Ning Fengzhi and Tang San. Without even drinking it, the mere aroma was enough to soothe the heart and refresh the spirit. Combined with the antique elegance of the room's decor, it was easy to feel completely at ease.
Tang San spoke. "Brother Xue, earlier Uncle Ning mentioned that you know something about my father's retirement back then."
Xue Qinghe nodded. "Actually, what I know is incomplete—I heard it from one of the palace's court retainers. Your father has always been an idol of mine, so I made a point of asking around at the time. According to what I've learned, your father's decision to withdraw from the Soul Master world and disappear seems to be connected to Spirit Hall."
"Oh? Brother Xue, could you be more specific?" Tang San asked, unable to hide his urgency. According to Titan, the elder of the Strength Clan, and to Ning Fengzhi, his father was a direct descendant of the Clear Sky School—the number one among the Seven Great Sects—and one of the current two Titled Douluo of the Clear Sky. With such a distinguished identity, how could his father have ended up as nothing more than a blacksmith who could only drink coarse wine? This had always been something Tang San desperately wanted to know.
Xue Qinghe had no intention of keeping him in suspense. He nodded and said, "Here's what I've pieced together. Roughly fifteen years ago—by which time you likely hadn't been born yet—Spirit Hall appeared to be searching for a particular object. That object was of extreme importance to Spirit Hall as a whole. As a result, Spirit Hall dispatched a formidable force to hunt for it. Not only did all four Platinum Archbishops participate, but even the Pope at the time and the Pope's two personal guards were mobilized. What exactly they were looking for, the person who gave me this information didn't know. But judging by Spirit Hall's entire upper echelon pouring out in full force, it had to be something critically important."
"And that object, it seems, was in your father's possession. At the time, your father wasn't at the Clear Sky School—he was likely traveling the continent with your mother. Being suddenly confronted with this situation must have put him in an extremely difficult position. What exactly transpired between him and Spirit Hall, no one knows. All that's heard is that your father soon after declared his departure from the Clear Sky School. At that point, he was still a Soul Douluo and had not yet reached the realm of Titled Douluo."
"Not long after, news spread that your father had dueled someone from Spirit Hall at some location and left wounded. And that object seemingly hadn't been successfully taken from him. It was during that battle that word broke that your father had already become a Titled Douluo. Spirit Hall itself acknowledged this fact, which is how the story of your father becoming the youngest Titled Douluo of the current era came about."
Hearing this, Tang San couldn't help but ask, "What about my mother?"
Xue Qinghe shook his head. "My information doesn't include anything about your mother. However, less than a month after that battle, Spirit Hall suddenly announced that the Pope had passed away and a new Pope had succeeded to the position. So the person who provided my information speculated that the previous Pope likely suffered devastating injuries in the battle with your father and died shortly afterward. Your father chose to go into hiding for this very reason. Even though he had already left the Clear Sky School, he was still the most important among its direct-line disciples. His retirement was probably to avoid bringing trouble upon the school. After all, Spirit Hall's power was far too great—it could stand on equal footing with the two great empires, and no single sect could hope to oppose it. Not even the number one sect in the world. It was also from that point on that the Clear Sky School gradually withdrew from public view, rarely appearing in the Soul Master world."
Ning Fengzhi took over the conversation. "If this story is true, then the most important questions are what that object Spirit Hall was after actually is, and what really happened in that battle. I'm afraid only the people directly involved would know. But one thing is certain—your father's retirement must have been closely tied to that battle."
Tang San nodded silently. What Xue Qinghe described differed somewhat from his own guesses but was entirely plausible. In all of Soul Land, the only force capable of forcing a Titled Douluo into retirement and compelling the greatest sect to half-withdraw from the world was Spirit Hall. If his father had truly killed the Pope, then the enmity between him and Spirit Hall would be enormous. To prevent the school from being implicated, to escape pursuit—it made perfect sense that he would have taken Tang San and hidden away in a small mountain village.
But in Xue Qinghe's entire account, his mother was nowhere to be found. Could it be that his mother had been killed by Spirit Hall during that battle?
Without realizing it, Tang San's fists gradually clenched. Though he had no emotional bond with this life's mother, this body was, after all, what she had given him. Her blood and his father's ran through his veins. The enmity of one's parents is irreconcilable. If Spirit Hall was truly responsible, then...
At that thought, an uncontrollable cold gleam flickered through Tang San's eyes.
Xue Qinghe said, "That's all I know. I'm sorry it's not more. I've already sent people to investigate, but since more than a decade has passed, it'll likely be difficult to turn up anything conclusive."
"Thank you, Brother Xue. Knowing this much is already incredibly helpful to me." Tang San's expression quickly returned to normal.
Xue Qinghe smiled faintly. "Brother Tang, there's no need for formality—it was nothing."
With the serious matter settled, the three drank tea and chatted casually. Tang San discovered that Xue Qinghe was not only an excellent conversationalist but also remarkably well-informed, speaking with an air of ease and magnanimity. Throughout their chat, he never once made any mention of recruitment or offers of patronage. Tang San observed carefully and found the man to be genuinely broad-minded—entirely unlike the Prince Xue Beng and Prince Xue Xing he had encountered before.
"Brother Tang, why don't we have lunch together?" Xue Qinghe suggested.
Tang San shook his head. "I'll pass. I should head back to the academy."
Xue Qinghe smiled and produced a gold token from inside his robe, handing it over. The token was simple in design, but it contained a subtle flow of energy within it, and the character "Tian" was engraved upon its surface.
"In that case, I won't keep you. Take this token. In the future, if you ever need anything, bring it to the palace and come find me."
Looking at the gold token before him, Tang San hesitated for a moment. Beside him, Ning Fengzhi smiled and said, "Qinghe means nothing else by it—just take it. This token is simply a personal symbol of his, with no other purpose."
Hearing Ning Fengzhi say this, Tang San found it hard to refuse. He picked up the weighty gold token and stored it in his Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night.
Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi personally escorted Tang San to the teahouse entrance. Tang San bid them farewell and headed back toward Shrek Academy.
Watching Tang San's figure gradually recede into the distance, Xue Qinghe praised, "Teacher, you were right. He truly doesn't seem like a child of barely more than ten years old. Not only can he conceal his thoughts, but his speech and bearing are remarkably composed. He's every bit worthy of being a disciple of the Clear Sky School."
Ning Fengzhi smiled. "This child's brilliance isn't something the Clear Sky School gave him—it comes entirely from his own ability. Even I can't see where his future will end. If it were any other Soul Master with Blue Silver Grass as their Martial Soul, it would be hard to accomplish much. But he's different. At such a young age, he's already reached level forty, and the strength he's displayed is in no way inferior to a level forty Soul Master with a top-tier Martial Soul. If he can solve that critical problem—the backlash of the Twin Martial Soul—then this young man will undoubtedly become a figure of tremendous influence in the soul land, possibly even surpassing his father."
Xue Qinghe nodded in deep agreement. "I'll look into the matter of the Clear Sky Douluo's withdrawal from the Soul Master world as quickly as I can. Hopefully, I can find accurate information soon. As for Tang San, I'll try to maintain a good relationship with him for now. He's outstanding, but he's still far too young."
(End of chapter)